I love professional American football. Make that, I like football, sometimes. And basketball, sometimes. The truth is — sigh — I’ve become a fairweather fan.

There was a time when I was so into the game of football that I had a standing evening out with a friend of mine for Monday Night Football, no matter who was playing. It mattered little that I would be sleepy (at best) or hungover (at worst) at work on Tuesday morning.

But eventually that obsession with the sport itself gave way to fervor for only the home team. Since I live in a sports-crazy town, it is not hard to get caught up in the madness. Now, I have never been one of those fans who had season tickets. That is a whole other level of fandom. No, I was a cheap fan who enjoyed every Denver game that was televised. But with the responsibilities of adulthood, and fatherhood came guilt over spending so much time watching a ‘game.’ That is all it is, after all. A game. The outcome may seem important, but really it matters little. So, I would only watch when I could be doing something else…something productive…even if it was only ironing clothes.

These days I catch a game when I can…or at least most of the second half. (See, I have noticed that the final score can be more accurately predicted during the second half ;). ) And if they have a good record and a chance at the postseason, I will watch a little more.